NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn admits his side need to “kick-start” their season after a run of three draws and three defeats in League Two.

County have not won a league match since their 4-0 triumph at Forest Green Rovers on October 14 and have slipped to 10th in the table, four points below the play-off places.

They head to fifth-placed Swindon Town tomorrow looking to bounce back from a demoralising 2-1 home defeat to struggling Barnet on Tuesday night.

The Exiles led 1-0 through Ben White’s first goal for the club but conceded twice at the death to let three points slip from their grasp.

“Look, I don’t make excuses. It was a bad performance,” said Flynn. “The way we played and the goals we conceded was bad, it was a bad night and we’ve got to address the problems.”

The major problem at the moment seems to be conceding late goals, something that has also cost County wins against Port Vale and Accrington Stanley in the past fortnight.

“The easy thing to say would be [a lack of] fitness [is to blame],” said Flynn.

“But I can guarantee you that there won’t be many fitter teams than us in this league. The amount of work they do, running they do during the game shows that.

“We just switched off and that’s what has cost us.

“If the games ended on 80 minutes then we would be third, I think.

“It’s the manner of how it has happened that is the frustrating thing.

“But hopefully it will give us the kick-start we need.”

Flynn is disappointed with the recent run of results but urged fans to look at the bigger picture, highlighting his record as a whole since replacing Graham Westley in March.

“I’m sure a lot of people think it’s alarming,” said the Exiles boss when asked about the current bad run.

“But it’s fine margins. Let’s be honest, if we’d have got to fourth then would anybody be complaining? No, but it still would have been the same poor performance on Tuesday in all honesty.

“We’re honest, it was a poor performance. We’ve had one at Morecambe and then gone on and won a few football matches.

“And we’ve got 49 points in 31 games since I took charge.

“That would make us near enough safe with 15 to play in a full season so I don’t think it’s been that bad a start.”

That is not to say that Flynn will settle for safety or mid-table mediocrity this season.

“I’ve got expectations,” he added. “I want us to do well and I want us to win every game.

“Trust me, there was nobody more disappointed and upset than myself on Tuesday night.

“I wasn’t happy and we’ve got to bounce back and get back on the winning trail because we’re still right in touch [with the play-off places].”